Friday, April 2, 2010

National Poetry Month Blog Tour: Emily Dickinson

When Serena asked me to take part in the National Poetry Month Blog Tour, I knew right away I wanted to talk about Emily Dickinson, who has been my favorite poet for as long as I can remember. Dickinson lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, a beautiful, upscale town that Serena and I visited once several years ago. Unfortunately, our visit was during our college days and involved a party -- not the Emily Dickinson Museum. (We'll get there someday, I hope!)

Emily Dickinson (Dec. 10, 1830 - May 15, 1886) is probably best known for being a recluse, having made a conscious choice to withdraw from the world. Despite isolating herself, she had several close friendships and continued to read and write letters. The locals thought she was eccentric, and you all know how I feel about eccentrics! Dickinson wrote almost 1,800 poems during her 55 years, but only a handful were published while she was alive.

Dickinson's poems feature short lines and slant rhyme, have a Christian hymn feel to them, and focus on such themes as death, flowers, religion, and love. One of Dickinson's biggest influences was the Reverend Charles Wadsworth, a married man with whom she corresponded. Many believe she loved him and that many of her poems are about him.

When I think about why I love Dickinson's work, I want to say simply that she speaks to me in a way that no other poet has. I know that's not very eloquent, but I'm not really good at analyzing poems. There are some poems that when I read them, I don't see the hidden meanings or completely understand the symbolism. With Dickinson, I might not be able to find the right words to explain what her poems mean to me, but I "get" them. I feel the longing and the desperation, and during my youth when I was depressed and channeling that depression into my poetry, Dickinson felt like a kindred spirit. Some of her poems are playful and warm, and they all show an understanding of the world that one wouldn't expect from someone who never strayed far from home.

Here are a few of my favorite Dickinson poems, taken from The Works of Emily Dickinson as published by The Wordsworth Poetry Library. (The cover image included in this post is the copy I purchased in August 1995, and I'm surprised it's still in good condition, considering all the dog-eared pages, post-it notes, and highlighting.)

I have no life but this,To lead it here;Nor any death, but lestDispelled from there;

Nor tie to earths to come,Nor action new,Except through this extent,The realm of you (page 63)

Love

Love is anterior to life Posterior to death,Initial of creation, and The exponent of breath. (page 61)

Heart, we will forget him! You and I, tonight!You may forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.

When you have done, pray tell me, That I my thoughts may dim;Haste! lest while you're lagging, I may remember him! (page 74)

And finally, the poem on which I gave an oral presentation in college, which many believe is about her unrequited love for Wadsworth and includes symbols of death and withdrawal:

The soul selects her own society,Then shuts the door;On her divine majorityObtrude no more.

Unmoved, she notes the chariot's pausingAt her low gate;Unmoved, an emperor is kneelingUpon her mat.

I've known her from an ample nationChoose one;Then close the valves of her attentionLike stone. (pages 7-8)

No matter how many times I flip through my collection of Dickinson poems, I always find something new, and my understanding and enjoyment of her work grows with each passing year. Like Dickinson during her lifetime, I myself have written numerous poems that I have not yet shown the world. I haven't written a poem in years; I always say the words stopped coming when I got married, had a child, and found myself happy for a change!

How do you feel about Dickinson's poems? Do you have a favorite? Feel free to broaden the discussion and tell me whose poetry you like best and which poems move you the most.

What a fantastic post Anna! I'm the same I don't get the ins and outs of poetry - I can't say anything impressive - but I do like to read some of it and enjoy it. I like how you say her poetry speaks to you. That's all that really matters.

"Heart we will forget him" is a favorite of mine. In fact, I've written it down and posted it on my desk. I picked up her book of poems in a library sale and you've inspired me to drag it out and look at it closely this month!

Great post Anna! I really enjoy Emily Dickinson's poetry. I have an anthology of her poems and need to check it out some more. Oh and what wonderful serendipity because I have a Dickinson poem on my blog right now too :)

Emily Dickinson is one of my favorites as well. Great post! I didnt know that much about her. I agree, there is a beautiful sense of longing to her poems. 'I have no life but this' is a favorite of mine as are 'If you were coming in the fall' and 'Heart, we will forget him!'.http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

I absolutely adore Dickinson. Last year I introduced her to my students and they became intrigued by her life. I think the isolation by the cemetery always gets them!

Funny thing, though. When I was little, I used to confuse Charles Dickens & Emily Dickinson. Not what they wrote or their role in literature, but I would always get their names intermixed: Charles Dickinson and Emily Dickens. :)

I love Emily Dickinson's poetry! She had such a rich imagination, you can actually see the poem happen when you read it.I also love a lot of the poetry Oscar wilde wrote, with 'The Dole of the King's daughter' as my absolute favourite.And my all time favourite poet is a dutch poet: J.C. Bloem, he was a master in writing melancholic poetry.

This is a great post. I would like to enjoy poetry more than I have, and I have never really read any Emily Dickinson. It's kind of scandalous that I wen to school in the town where her huse is at, but I never visited. Bad girl!

I have been appreciating Emily Dickinson a lot more since DailyLit (no affilation) has been sending me an Emily Dickinson poem a day in my e-mailbox. I just posted one of her poems last week on my blog!

With the poems you have here, I love the lines

"Heart, we will forget him! You and I, tonight!You may forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light."

The way I see it, that is such an eloquent way of saying "I'm trying to forget you, but can't just yet".

Anna ...this was a great post. I enjoyed it. I love Emily Dickinson. I am not overly familiar but studied her a bit her and there in college. I like some of the more humorous ones, but also "get" some of the more seemingly dark missives too. Outstanding job!

I am a fan of Dickinson. The first poem I ever read of hers was the famous "Hope is the thing with feathers..." It is still a favorite of mine, but I also like "I could not stop for death..." and "I sing to use the waiting..."